moving to raf lakenheath
 

hello! my active duty AF husband just got orders for lakenheath, uk. i was wondering if anyone had any information for me. im so new to all of this im not even sure what to ask, so any information will be helpful. he is in the civil engineering squadron here. i think he is a little nervous about the new base. he has been told some horror stories about lakenheath. i am so excited so its hard for me to share in his anxiety. we have a 5 year old son, and 2 cats. im not sure how things work there with pets. i have already taken them to the vet and everything, they have already started the pet program. we want to live off base, i just want to experience every ounce of the opportunity. like i said before - any information will be helpful...
thanks so much for your time!
-jessica

I can speak only from the happiest time of my life - 3-1/2 years at RAF Woodbridge/Bentwaters, now closed. You have just the right attitude & I highly endorse living off base. Be prepared for great base facilities (horror stories??? possibly about duties???), but off-base housing could be small & inconvenient, & you may have to spend time in temporary quarters on base til you find appropriate housing off base. Surely these days there's a website to contact Squadron Commanders' wives or others to get a lay of the land?

My only regret is that I treated living in Woodbridge England the way I treat living in Wilmington DE - & that is that I assumed that London (or Philadelphia or NYC) would always be there - & over 3 years zipped by with few visits. Treasure your time there!!! It's cold & damp but it's wonderful!!!

Your animals MUST be microchipped, injected against rabies and tapeworm at the appropriate time (at least about a year before arrival in the UK for rabies and no less than 24 and no more than 48 hours for tapeworm), documented by a vet who really understands the UK requirements then transported by an approved airline to an approved airport. (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quar...s/noneuq&a.htm)

As far as I'm aware, military airports are NOT approved for this. And, again as far as I'm aware, you're planning to import these animals into the UK, so the concessions given to foreign troops on some routine matters don't apply.

If you don't conform to UK rules about bringing pets in (even if that's just getting the tapeworm injection a few hours too early) the pets will be either barred from travel or put into six months' quarantine on arrival.

It's very important you and your vet understand every minor rule in this process. There MIGHT be some special arrangements on travel routes for foreign troops - but it's essential you double-check that your husband's employer's understanding of any such rules is the same as the UK Dept of Agriculture's. Because it's UK Customs, and not some purveyor of web tittle-tattle, who'll decide whether the cats go home with you or spend the next six months in a cat jail.

Once the cats are permitted entry, just treat them as you would at home

Congrats!! We just got here in Feb. and let me tell you, I love it here! I have 3 children and right away I knew I wanted to put them in the British school to let them experience it too. I put my 5 yr old in the local primary school and he loves it. He has an outdoor classroom and he stays w/ the same teacher for 2 years in a row, and the school only has 5 classes which is really nice. My 7 year old was in 3rd grade when we left Florida, so I went ahead and put him into the DOD school on RAF feltwell, just to not confuse him. He does however want to go to the British school next year for class 4. So, that im torn on right now. Anyway..my 3 yr old goes to pre-school, which is on campus w/ the primary school. She loves it too. They do pick up a bit of an accent when they are young, which I love. You sound like me, I am all about living as the rest of the English do while we are here. The last thing I want to do is go to the BX everyday and live on base, it's like little America. And Please...don't let the close minded people steer you away from what you truly want to experience here. There are some people that are all about living on base and the american school, becuase they simply are ignorant and don't know any better. Have fun...go to the market...walk the high street...I love it here. It's a bit more relaxed i think..the lollipop man (crossing guard) always tells me "no rush mum"...because im always waving my son to come on because he walks really slow..haha. There is a lot of walking..I walk my son to primary school in the morning and it's really nice. He rides his scooter and brings his "football" or soccer ball to school everyday to kick it around w/ the other village chidlren before the morning whistle blows. Too cute! Anyway...enjoy it here...theres so much to see!! :) Cheers

I don't have time for more than a quick comment right now. But did want to jump in on the Pet issue. PLEASE read and re-read everything flanner wrote. It is very important the t's are crossed and i's dotted exactly. When I lived in the it was long before the microchip/rabies shots provisions were in place.

In my case a 6 month quarantine was the only option. I decided to let my parent "adopt" my Norwegian Elkhound and crazy cat. I could not see making them sit in cages (w/ some regular exercise) for 6 months. I am soooooo glad I made the difficult decision. One family I met had a german shepherd in quarantine - and <u>one month</u> prior to the end of the 6 months -- the UK gov't w/o notice extended the quarantine period to 12 months. My babies would have ended up in those cages for a year . . .

They did eventually reduce it back to 6 months.

I had to laugh about mummy2three's post. There is definitely a segment of the community who will never leave the States no matter where they are posted. They live on base, shop on base, socialize on base -- and could be in Kansas.

More later . . . .

We've been in the UK for 2 years now and love it. Originally, we planned on bringing our 2 cats with us as well. We went through the whole micro chipping, testing, quarantine process but in the end we changed our minds. It would have been about $1000 just to fly them over here. We also weren't sure where we would be headed next and didn't think it would be fair to move them around so much. We found good homes for them and I hope they're happy.

www.upmystreet.com is a good site to look at for neighborhood information. It may be useful when you're trying to find a place to live.

Our son is 4 and his favorite thing in the world is to run around castles, preferably ruins. We use www.castlexplorer.co.uk almost every weekend. We just pick an area of the country we'd like to explore and then find a castle to visit while we're there. I'm sure your 5 year old would go nuts for it too. Many are free or extremely cheap and you will often have the whole place to yourself. We just counted and we've visited 18 castles since we've been here!

If your family and friends are coming to visit you I recommend saving some of the big must sees for their visits. For example, everyone will want to see the Tower of London. If you wait and go with them you won't end up doing the same things over and over. I visited Stonehenge 4 times in the first 8 months, just because all of our visitors wanted to see it too.

If you have a car get a SatNav system. You may not need one at home, but it's been a lifesaver, trip planner, and a french fry finder for us. Priceless.

See and do as much as you can. Don't forget that most flights to Europe are CHEAP! Many flights to the Middle East and Africa are cheaper too. www.kayak.co.uk and www.whichbudget.com can be your best friends! We've visited Egypt last year and loved it. Now we're looking into Oman and Ghana. At the same time, don't forget that the UK itself is amazing and you don't need to leave to have a good time!

Find an expat forum. They may have support and suggestions for things you'll need. If nothing else, once they find out your have access to a commissary you might gain a couple of new best friends. Honestly, the things some people will do for marshmallow fluff and maple syrup!!

As you can tell -- we love it here. Before we left the states we only planned on spending about 2 years here. However, we are just too happy to think about leaving right now.

Have fun. If you have any more questions, just ask. People on this forum are incredibly helpful.

There was an interesting documentary on British TV a few years back (and it's been repeated since) called "Bombs, Brits and Cheerleaders" about a US forces family moving to "RAF" Lakenheath (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombs,_...d_Cheerleaders). The inevitable clash of cultures between rural England and the new arrivals from the US was an interesting perspective. It was an eye-opener to me to discover the extent to which the base has recreated mid-west America in the middle of the English countryside, complete with US radio and TV, fast food, marching bands, enormous SUVs etc... The most memorable bit in the film was the jaw-dropping culture shock visibly experienced by the cheerleader team when they check in to a crumby Blackpool B&B for the night before a cheerleading championship at Blackpool Tower - unmissable.

Grrrr - here's that link again:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombs,_...d_Cheerleaders

<<< He has an outdoor classroom >>>

Dang education cuts

1st off thank u SOOOOOOOOOO much for your replies!!! u guys are awesome! i have been posting on a couple other sites, and no one responds... anyway - about the cats - i have been working with the vet clinic on base here. seems like they know what they are doing. they have given me LOTS on info. the little kitties have already been microchipped and have already started their 6 month in home quarantine. so i think i have a handle on that - now that i have read the posts - trust me, i am double checking everything.
i cant tell u how thankful i am for all of your posts! i am going to read over all of them with my husband - he might have some questions too! by the way - do any of u know anyone in the civil engineering squadron???
thank you thank you!

You are in for the time of your life. My ex-son-i-l is in AF and I don't recall if he and is current wife are stationed in Mildenhall or Lakenheath, they are very close to each other. They work at one but do on occassion work out of the other. I was there in 2004 and had the time of my life. It is located in East Anglia section of England. Tons of lovely towns and villages. My favortie is Bury St Edmunds, lovely old abby ruins and huge cathedral and the location of the smallest pub in England.

They originally lived in Brandon in a rental home and then built a house in Soham just outside Ely. Ely has a gorgeous cathederal and has a train station where you take the train in to London, about an hour 10 minutes.

They chose not to use English schools mostly for continuity (sp)of words used and spelling, thought it would make it harder for the kids to transition back to USA schools.

Previous posters mentioned cheap flights to Europe already and they have done a lot of traveling in Europe. They return stateside in 2010 (their house will be for sale, hint.)

Do take in all the sights, remember you are living your "good old days" now. Not many people get to have the experience you are about to have, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!

I've never heard of them speak of any difficulty regarding the bases, they have really enjoyed their time there but are unable to re-up. There are locals on the side of the road with binnoculars daily watching all the comings and goings of the base, they call them something but I can't recall the term they use to refer to them.

You'll have all the convience of the USA (on base, BX, way cheaper gas and can use US dollars) and the experience of a foreign country. They have an awesome kids fair in August and amazing fireworks on the fourth of July.
Best regards to you and your family in this experience. Oh and thanks for your service to your country.
Pam

>>>There are locals on the side of the road with binnoculars daily watching all the comings and goings of the base, they call them something but I can't recall the term they use to refer to them.<<<

Planespotters? They're harmless really.

I haven't been to
RAF Lakenheath, but have been to RAF a number of times and it is a really nice part of the country. I believe there is still a free duty bus that runs between the bases and Heathrow, so it is easy to go into London for an overnight. There are nearby train stations in Eli and in Bury St. Edmunds, and the station in Cambridge is about 1/2 hour or less by car.

Stop in at the Bird in Hand in Mildenhall and have a pint for me. Love their Fish and Chips as well.

Take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy!

for your husband. The water table is 1 foot down so structure building is great fun

The roads around are small and have roundabouts. Lekenheath is famous for the US turning up day one and crashing so take it steady.

Finally in the UK we see the area as having a limited gene pool.

i am ready for the time of my life! we really need a change. its going to be hard, being away from my family - but hopefully they can visit. im so excited to rent a new place in a new country... wow - i swear im still in shock.
- - as for the questions - should we bring our washer and dryer?do u guys have a movie theatre? bowling alley? restaurants? i mean what do u do? we are pretty much homebodies, but we like to go out at least once a week or so. & can someone please explain "let agreed"??? :)
thanks again guys!

"<i>should we bring our washer and dryer?do u guys have a movie theatre? bowling alley? restaurants? </i>"

No to the major appliances - if you are end up living "on the economy" there will either be washer/dryers in the kitchens or there won't be space for them. Plus having the electrical issues. (the size of the refrigerator may shock you :) )

Yes there is a bowling alley. But please don't depend on the base for all your evenings out. See the posts above about some service families 'never leaving the States'. Local pubs, restaurants - be sure to include them in your socializing.

"let agreed": sounds to me like what an estate agent might put on an advertising board outside a house they'd just rented, but perhaps the new tenants haven't paid over any money yet. So they're showing off to other landlords how efficient they are, and still possibly attracting potential tenants to this or similar properties.

Everyone has different priorities on what they want to take with them on an international relocation.

Having now done 3, the last on our own nickel, in addition to Janis' advice about all large appliances, I would add microwaves, televisions (although the newer ones, according to my DH can be adapted). Large sectionals and entertainment units often don't fit well in European houses as the rooms tend to be smaller and some wall space may be taken up by radiators.

Small appliances will work with what are now, fortunately, relatively small converters and with plug adapters. For our last move to France in June, we bought converters and adapters in bulk before we left the States. If you are interested, I can get the website url from my husband.

On my corporate relocations I did not have a restriction on goods to be shipped by sea. However, I still narrowed things down quite a bit because while doing a property search, first in Ireland and then in the UK, short-term lets were most often furnished to some extent. Of course, my short-term ended up being a year in Ireland and over 4 in the UK, but I actually didn't miss much.

I took beds and bedding, clothes, table and floor lamps (they will work with change of light bulbs and plug adapters), lots of cooking and entertaining gear, art work, books, favorite chairs, etc.

Around the base I would expect you might find more unfurnished housing but again, I would query the relocation contact at the base asap and also have a look online at letting(rental) agents' listings in the area. The AF should provide you soon with a list on any shipping restrictions and if you have restrictions on weight, guidelines on what can be shipped within the weight limit.

I am so excited for you--you will love England and as another poster mentioned, the time will fly by.

I'll try to help with any other questions you might have. When I moved in the 90s, pets were still quarantined automatically so I do hope you get all that paperwork in place to avoid that happening to your cats.

ok so no to large appliances. :)
we are planning on living off base. i was interested in the attractions around the living area. i am really excited to sightsee and explore the locations available to us. my husband and i are going to write a list of things we want to do, we really want to take advantage of our opportunity.
i have been browsing rightmove.co.uk , the houses in the surrounding area look amazing. we are staying in a 2 bedroom townhouse here with around 1000 sq. ft. i saw the refrigerator - wow. what do u guys put in there? like a dozen eggs and some lunchmeat? they are tiny!!!

cathinjoetown - can i please have that website? sounds like a good investment.

I spent 5 years at Heidelberg on the army post there. I did a lot of traveling, but not as much as I now think I should have. The traveling was mostly to far-off places--Egypt, Greece, Rome, London, etc. But I didn't take the time to explore Germany that I wish I had done. At the time, Germany was just where I lived.

My attitude now that I'm back in the States is different. I love Germany and visit small towns there whenever I can. So my advice is to see as much of England as you can. Take at least one weekend trip a month if you can.

Explore all of England and learn as much as you can of its history. Don't just live in Little America.